Time Heals No Wounds
by Kanaia
Summary: It's the Marauders' seventh year. Peter is kidnapped along with Severus Snape, and the other three rush to his rescue. R&R please! (Chapter 6 is up.)
1. Prologue

(A/N: This hasn't got a title yet, and as usual, all recognizable characters are property of the venerable J. K. Rowling; all else is mine.)

Number twelve, Grimmauld Place, Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, was suddenly filled with a shrill whistle. Remus Lupin rose from his armchair by the kitchen fire, where he had been brooding, and went to take the teakettle off the stove. Though he often boiled water magically, there was something calming about going through the ritual in the Muggle fashion, and today Lupin needed that brand of comfort. All the members of the Order were out on business and weren't due back till much later. And with Sirius gone, the house had become a vacuum of excruciating lonely monotony.

Lupin was just surveying his handiwork, steam pouring from the spout of the sturdy blue and white teapot, when a loud rapping came at the door. Lupin's first thought was, _Oh bloody hell,_ and sure enough the screeches of Mrs. Black echoed through the empty house. Hurriedly, he strode up the stairs to the hallway, wrenched the curtains closed over the still howling portrait ("Filthy werewolf, adulterating the house of my ancestors with every malodorous breath—"), and went to answer the door.

He found himself staring at a very familiar face. Remus Lupin had almost forgotten, in the twenty years since he had last seen his twin, just how much it was—and wasn't—like looking into a mirror.

"Romulus!" he exclaimed, his expression a mixture of surprise and joy, as well as a little barely-concealed dismay. There _was_ a reason they hadn't spoken in twenty years. "What are you doing here?"

"Checking up on you, dearest twin," Romulus replied, with the slightest hint of wryness. "Since Dumbledore seemed to think it was a good idea, he told me where you were holing up. May I come in?"

There was the slightest hesitation, then Remus replied with a genuine smile that crossed his entire face, "Certainly! But be very quiet until we get to the kitchen." He stepped away from the door, and his twin swept into the house, his air suggesting that of an owner rather than a visitor.

They made it to the kitchen without the accompaniment of Mrs. Black's ravings, and Remus rushed over to rescue the tea from over-steeping. "I was just going to have some Darjeeling, Romy; do you fancy a cup as well?"

"Oh, all right. It's a clammy sort of day," Romulus said, slipping into the chair opposite the high-backed one Remus had vacated. "Nice place," he commented, as his twin placed a steaming mug into his hands.

"It's actually much cleaner now than when we first chose it for a headquarters. There was only a house elf living here then, and he never did any cleaning."

"Really?" Romulus took a dainty sip from his mug, his eyebrow lifting slightly. "I shudder to think what it looked like."

"Terrible," Remus confirmed. "Truly unlivable conditions. Sirius was given the task of cleaning the place ... he never did forgive Dumbledore for that. He hated this house."

They had been dancing about the subject of Sirius, but Remus had a hard time not talking about him. He had thought about him a lot lately, especially since some of the furor from the battle at the Ministry of Magic had died down. Remus wasn't sure he wanted to talk about it with his twin, but it had just slipped out involuntarily, and now he was stuck with the subject.

"I heard ... he died," Romulus ventured hesitantly. He wasn't sure how to approach this subject, even less sure he wanted to broach it at all. "I know you and he were close."

Remus's fingers slipped on the handle of his mug, and he quickly cupped his other hand beneath to steady it.

"We were," he agreed after a time. "Very close, ever since our first year at school ... but even more so after James died." Impulsively, he plunged on before his twin could reply. "Romy, there's something else you should know. We were—more than friends."

A sardonic grin twitched at Romulus's lips. "I surmised as much. I am not, contrary to popular opinion, stupid. But, pardon me for speaking ill of the dead, what of Potter? Was he a fag?"

Remus was silent for a long while, and he found he could not meet his brother's gaze. Finally he mustered his courage to speak. "I know you've never liked my friends nor approved of my sexual orientation, but as long as you're talking to me I would appreciate it if you would not use insulting language."

Romulus had the good grace to look slightly abashed. "You're right, that was rude. Forgive me."

"Forgiven. And to answer your question, Romy, no, James and Sirius were never together, and to my knowledge he was straight as an iron rod. But Sirius did have an unrequited crush on him seventh year."

"You were jealous." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes. I spent many long nights that year consumed with jealousy ... and I am ashamed to say, when I heard word of James's death, a small part of me for an instant was glad." Remus had never admitted this to anyone, and had intended to take the secret with him to the grave, but somehow it felt good to tell his twin, though it took all his strength of will to do it.

Romulus didn't speak for a moment, staring instead into the small wisps of steam issuing from his tea, then he said, "Remus ... we have had our differences. I know I have not acted like a brother should towards you at times. But I am truly sorry for your loss. Your love for him must have been really special, and who am I to criticize that?" His voice had gone quiet and had lost its ubiquitous hauteur. "If you need to talk about it, I am all ears, my twin."

Remus looked gratefully at his brother, suddenly realizing just how much he had missed Romulus all these years. "Well, if you have the time, I'll make us some more tea."


	2. Chapter 1

The weak October sun trickling into the dormitory and across the sleeping faces of four boys in four-poster beds roused one of them from his slumber. Remus Lupin sat up slowly, rubbing the last remnants of sleep from his eyes. It might be Saturday, but the night before last had been a full moon.

Generally Remus kept up with his studies, but spending a night roaming Hogsmeade with the mind and body of a wolf does not do wonders for one's marks. And as he was a prefect, Remus felt he had to conform to fairly high standards. So, even on a Saturday, he woke early to do classwork.

As he was waiting for his body to come fully awake, he cast a glance at the other beds. To his left, Remus saw Peter, the short scrawny tagalong that he shared more attributes with than he liked to admit. Across the room lay James and Sirius, the two people Remus loved and admired more than anyone else. They looked so peaceful when they were asleep, a sharp contrast to their waking hours.

With a contented sigh, Remus swung himself out of bed. He dressed quickly and quietly, not wanting to wake the others. Let them sleep, they deserved it. Loyalty like theirs merited a reward, and while it wasn't as though Sirius and James didn't _care_ about their marks, they didn't need to lose sleep over it.

He tiptoed down the dormitory stairs, carefully avoiding the step that squeaked—though stone, it was temperamental. The Gryffindor common room was empty, the fire down to embers by now. Ariel, Yoni Greenbaum's calico cat, was stretched out before the dying fire, but as Remus entered, the tom's golden eyes snapped open and glared balefully at him.

Remus admired cats, and would have liked to own one himself, but because of his lycanthropy they never seemed to like him in return. Yoni's cat was certainly no exception. With a start, Remus realized if Ariel was up, Yoni must be as well. The enormous tom always slept on Yoni's chest, and always woke when his master got out of bed. Remus hadn't paid much attention to Yoni's bed, and couldn't remember noticing it was empty.

Yoni. Remus sighed. He didn't want to think about Yoni, not this morning. The boy was handsome, too handsome, and openly (if jokingly) flirtatious, and it made him uncomfortable. Not because he thought he might be gay, but because he had a crush on Yoni, and thus he _knew_ he was. He just didn't want to admit it, not to himself, and definitely not to his friends. They would hate him if they knew.

"Morning, Remy. Penny for your thoughts?"

And Yoni was suddenly there, leaning casually against the back of an armchair, as though thinking of him had summoned him. How had he gotten there? Remus thought immediately, then just as quickly abandoned it. It didn't matter how.

"Oh, they're nothing special," he replied vaguely. "Where'd you go? I noticed Ariel's already up and about."

"Library." Yoni held up a couple of slim books as if for proof. "For research on our History of Magic essay."

Remus smiled, suddenly feeling shy. "That's what I was going to work on. Mind if I join you?"

"Course not. Why would I mind the company of such a handsome boychik?" There was that rakish grin Remus secretly melted under. He didn't know whether to laugh or not, so he settled for a small cough and went to fetch his books.

By the time he returned, Yoni had his books and parchments sprawled over a table and was already scribbling away. "Pull up a chair, why don't you?" he said when he saw Remus come in.

They had been working for a few minutes when Remus caught Yoni watching him. It wasn't a shy "I-have-a-crush-on-you" look (nor an obvious one), but rather contemplative. He was tempted to ask "What?" but Yoni glanced away so quickly he decided against it. But when it happened again, he didn't feel like beating around the bush as he usually did. "What is it? Do you need some help? A question?"

"You're the one who needs some help. Just because you're a prefect you think you know it all ... nu, let me tell you something I bet you didn't know, Remmeleh: you're gay. Don't bother denying it, we've got a radar ..."

Remus laughed nervously, staring at the page before him. "Kabbalistic Masters of the 18th and 19th Centuries," it said. Remus tried to concentrate, but the rest of the words slipped away from him like water under a bridge, seeming to whirl before his eyes. "What about Judah ben Bezalel? Do we need to mention him?" He was trying desperately not to think about what Yoni had said.

"Don't dodge the subject ... but if you must, yes. Rabbi Lowe is quite famous even among Muggles. Remy, I really like you, and as your friend I don't want to see you get hurt. If you're gay, it's better to admit it. Maybe not to everybody but at least to your friends. They've got a right to know, and if they don't like it, you need new friends anyway."

Finally Remus forced himself to look at his companion. Yoni was small and dark of hair and eyes, but with a comparatively light complexion. His face was long and leaner than you usually saw on teenagers—rather like Remus's, in fact, except he had a stronger chin and a smaller nose. His eyes were dark, black pupils lost in the surrounding coffee-coloured irises, and right now they were staring intently at Remus. This time Remus met them with his own dark grey pair, and suddenly he found he was leaning closer and closer ...

He had always been frightened of this, his first kiss, and somehow he'd always imagined it would be with a girl. But now it was even more complicated; what if James or Sirius found out? ... But Yoni was right, deception wasn't a good long term plan, as fond as Remus was of using it as one. He'd tried to keep his lycanthropy from his friends, and they'd found out in their third year.

Then, before Remus could worry further, their lips met, and he forgot about thinking rationally; he forgot to think at all. He was aware only of the feeling of warm lips on his, of Yoni's hand coming to rest lightly on his cheek, of the taste of the kiss, like deep, dark, raw earth after a rainstorm ...

A sudden noise behind them brought Remus abruptly and painfully to his senses. Sirius was standing at the foot of the stairs, a cold expression on his face. "Good morning, _Remus_." And with that, Sirius crossed to the portrait hole and was gone.


	3. Chapter 2

Sirius stormed out of the portrait hole, not knowing nor caring where he was headed. Portraits along the wall called out to him, curious or teasing, but he ignored them completely. He needed somewhere quiet to think, to sort out how he felt, away from other people, most importantly James. He couldn't face James right now.

He had just calmed down enough to decide on the library when Nearly Headless Nick passed through a nearby wall. Sirius was used to this ghostly trick and didn't even slow down for a second, but Nearly Headless Nick took one look at the boy's face before gliding along behind him.

"Good morning, Sirius," he said in his annoying, pompous drawl. "Or perhaps not so good. Might I ask what can have happened so early in the day?"

"You might," came the savage reply. "But you wouldn't get any answer. Go away."

Sirius tore around a corner, hoping to lose the ghost, but Nearly Headless Nick called after the back of his head, "I would recommend the dining hall. Food often helps, although—alas—I can no longer taste it ..."

He ended up taking Nearly Headless Nick's advice, because as soon as he reached the deserted library, he found he didn't want to be alone after all. No sooner had he sat down at the Gryffindor table than a huffing Peter came running up.

"Sirius!" he panted. "What happened? Remus looks positively devastated! Have you two had a row?"

"Calm down," Sirius told him coolly. Peter was never his first choice of companion. He didn't have the psychological need for worship like James did. "I'll tell you, in good time. I want Prongs here too. He deserves to hear what his friend's been up to."

"And just what _has_ Moony been up to?" James walked up to the table and slid easily into a seat. "What's up, Padfoot? Moony looked pretty upset, but he wouldn't say a word to me."

"Probably too ashamed," Sirius growled, doglike. "All right, I won't spare you. I just walked in on Remus and Yoni kissing."

"Kissing?" Peter's thin face was contorted with bemusement.

"Yes, Wormtail, kissing. Our former friend Remus Lupin is a poof."

Sirius felt a sudden unexpected burst of white-hot anger at this. "Why _former_ friend, James?"

James stared incredulously at Sirius. "Isn't it _obvious_? All these years, and we never knew he was ... you know. He's been deceiving us."

Sirius had an epiphany then. "Don't you see? James, it's just like before, with his being a werewolf. He values us too much. He'd rather we not know, because if we did we might shun him. And," he added, "If we've been friends with him all these years and never knew he was gay, that tells us something, doesn't it? That it doesn't matter. He's never come on to one of us, has he?"

James had too much pride to show his shame, but he did nod his agreement. "Padfoot, today you're talking more sense than usual. Now, we should go and see Moony. He must be worried."

----------

Remus was worried. He knew his friends were more tolerant than most—they had learned to be Animagi for him, even, once they'd found out he was a werewolf—but just how far did their tolerance stretch? His lycanthropy was something that couldn't be helped, really, but being gay ... some people thought you _chose_ that. Remus knew better. How he had prayed to be normal, but in vain. Homosexuality was not a choice. The question was, would they understand that?

Yoni stayed with him. They were silent as Peter came down the stairs, oblivious to his interrogation; they were silent also when James entered. James took one look at Remus's face and asked, "What happened?" But Remus couldn't bring himself to say, and for once, even Yoni seemed speechless. Finally, he gave up and left the portrait hole, probably in search of Sirius.

"Remus," Yoni said at last, "I'm sorry. This is totally my fault ... I should have known better. It's just—" He glanced away. "I've been wanting to do that. But I still should've had better sense."

"They would have found out anyway," Remus said in a hollow voice, his eyes staring ahead, unseeing.

"Yeah, but it could've been a gentler introduction. Listen, Remus, I should talk to—"

"No, don't." He managed a small smile. "Thank you for your offer, but I think I need to be the one to deal with them."

"Do you want my support at all?" Yoni's dark eyes were boring earnestly into his. He felt his world was falling beneath is feet, and a little support was exactly what he needed.

"I'd be grateful if you would. I need someone to lean on."

"Ah, now that's something even I can provide. Shall we?"

----------

Sirius, James, and Peter searched all day for Remus, but either he didn't want to be found, or he was looking for them and they just kept missing each other. At any rate, they finally met in the dormitory just before dinner.

For a few seconds they all just stood there staring at one another. Then, finally, without releasing his hold on Remus's gaze, Sirius stepped forward and offered his hand as if they were just meeting for the first time. "Remus John Lupin, I am still proud to call you my friend."

"We always will be, long as you don't start dating trolls," James quipped. "I don't think we could quite stand that."

Remus could hardly believe his ears. He felt tears filling his eyes, and he ducked his head so the others wouldn't see. "You ... you're not mad? You don't hate me?"

"Course not," Sirius said smoothly. "We just think you've got rotten luck. Now all you need is a bit of giant blood and—"

"It's not something to joke about," Yoni interjected quietly. "Persecution never is. My parents are survivors, they taught me that ... and to always eat everything on my plate. You don't need to ask for more hatred. For everyone there is someone who will hate you because of what you are, not who you are."

Everyone looked puzzled, everyone except Remus. Remus thought he knew what Yoni meant, and it chilled him. But he didn't want to ask, because he didn't want to know _for sure_.

They all stood around, bemused and awkward, until Yoni blurted out, "What happened, it was my fault, I started it—"

"You know what, Yoni, it's a moot point, because we don't care. Well, we _care_, because it's Remy, but there's no way it's going to affect our friendship. It goes deeper than that."

"Sirius, I'm glad to hear you say that. When I saw the look on your face ..."

"That? Oh, it was just shock." Sirius gave him a reassuring smile. "I'd never abandon Moony ... oh, and there's something else you should probably know, but I'll let _him_ tell you about that."

----------

The weekend passed with alarming alacrity. Remus was dreading the return to the daily grind, though usually he was eager to resume learning. But on Monday he dutifully shouldered his books and marched of to double Transfigurations.

Transfigurations was another thing he had been dreading. This year had been hard so far, seeing as they would take their N.E.W.T.s in the spring, but Transfigurations had always been Remus's worst class. While he got good marks, of course, it was a subject that did not come easy to him.

Just now they were beginning Animatriada, the bringing to life of stationary objects, and it was something of an individual project. Remus's was based on Rabbi Judah Lowe's creation, the Golem. Partly because of conversations with Yoni, he had become fascinated by the kabbalistic master, and how he had made legend in the Muggle world as well. However, imitating him was anything but easy.

But Remus Lupin never skived off classes, especially not the only class he had with his twin. He and Romulus weren't that close as far as twins went, but they enjoyed each other's company and it was nice to have someone who knew you so well. In their first year, however, the Sorting Hat had sent them to separate Houses (Remus to Gryffindor, Romulus to Ravenclaw), and now their encounters were mainly during Transfigurations, not counting holidays and the occasional weekend.

Romulus was early, as usual, with his books already stacked neatly on his desk, a piece of parchment and a quill beside them. He spotted Remus in the doorway, smiled and waved. Remus strode over to the desk next door and set his book bag on the chair.

"Hey, Remy."

"Hey, Romy."

They grinned at each other. Then, as Remus was getting settled in his seat, Romulus spoke, his voice quieter. "Remy, word is you and your gang had a bit of drama going this weekend. What was that about?"

Remus hesitated. Should he tell his twin? Romulus was great with secrets. He wasn't worried about that. But he _could_ be extremely bigoted; even now Remus thought he was afraid of werewolves. Still, it couldn't be helped; he would have to find out sometime.

He leaned in close and whispered to Romulus, "Sirius walked in on a kissing session. He was just really shocked."

"Snogging? _You_? I don't believe it. Who with?"

Remus sucked in a harsh breath, then plunged forward. "Yoni." It came out as a short whoosh of air.

"Yoni? Who's Yoni?" He looked blank for only a second, then the light dawned. "_Yoni_!" Remus saw his face, almost identical to his own, flush a deep Bohemian red, and Romulus stood abruptly, sending his chair clattering backwards. Even his ears were red now. His brows were indistinguishable from each other. He looked like a bomb, and like a bomb, he had to explode eventually.

"You!" he spat. "Bloody little faggot!" He didn't waste any time, but left the classroom at breakneck speed, everyone staring after him. Remus, not wanting to meet anyone else's gaze, turnedto his friends. They were all staring at him like deer caught in headlights. Professor McGonagall was standing paralyzed behind her desk, her mouth frozen into a big round 'oh' of utter shock.


	4. Chapter 3

After the Transfigurations fiasco, Remus became moody and unpredictable. At times he seemed possessed of an almost manic glee, as if to make up for the times when he was so blue he didn't even want to get out of bed in the morning, not even on Tuesdays. They had Defense Against the Dark Arts on Tuesdays, and it was Remus's best and favorite subject. Sirius and James worried, and because they did, so did Peter, but none of them could rouse him from his funk; not even Yoni's grin could dispel the dark clouds hanging over his head.

Half a month passed thus. Remus's hair began to grow thicker, and they all knew it was not merely through his lack of attention. Sirius might make cracks about Remus's 'time of the month,' but in all reality they realized how serious the situation was. A brooding werewolf—would he decide he didn't want their company any longer, and try to escape? A shudder passed down Sirius's spine every time he thought of this. In previous years, he had been oblivious, but now he understood just how dangerous their exploits had been, and found he was dreading the night of his friend's transformation.

Finally, a day before the full moon, Sirius pulled Remus aside in the Gryffindor common room. "Listen, mate, I know that was an awful experience, but you can't let it get you down forever. After all, you've got us," he added gruffly. "I never did like your twin." He stared penetratingly into his friend's eyes. Sirius knew that look worked well; at least, it always had on the girls.

Remus looked away, unable to stand seeing the worry in Sirius's gaze. "It's not Romulus," he murmured. "Not really. I don't know quite what it is, but please don't worry. I'll figure it out."

Sirius watched him closely for a moment, then nodded, reluctantly. "Okay. But you better be up for another romp in Hogsmeade, my friend."

Finally Remus was able to offer him a weak smile. "I will be, friend."

----------

That night, the sky was entirely cloudless; the moon looked more than ever like a round ball of pockmarked cheese due to the jaundiced hue it sported. By the light of this sickly-seeming moon four creatures slunk from the Hogwarts castle, making a beeline for a tree that was swaying gently in the wind ... except on this night, there was no wind.

The Whomping Willow stood waiting for them, like a sentry, its branches oscillating in warning, but it was no match for Wormtail's swift paws. In a few quick scampers the tree was disarmed, and the four—rat, stag, dog, and werewolf—slipped through the roots without a sound. Padfoot nipped Moony's hindquarters on the way, as the wolflike beast seemed hesitant to enter.

The old abandoned house to which the tunnel lead was, tonight, only a place to pass through. They were off to explore the outskirts of Hogsmeade, a place where they had seldom ventured before, and Wormtail's nose quivered in barely-checked excitement. Padfoot, too, was expectant, his tail sweeping the air behind him like a great fan; and Prongs was not jaded either, but stood with antlered head held high, a mischievous gleam in his creamy, dark eyes.

As they walked, Wormtail riding on Padfoot's broad back, Moony lifted his snout to the night air and sniffed deeply. There were many scents on the breeze tonight, many preys, one that he could not quite place. It was familiar, he knew, and he was anxious to reach it. His pace quickened, and the others hastened to keep up. Prongs cocked his head inquisitively, but the werewolf could not explain it. He merely shook his head in frustration.

The earth was cool and damp beneath his pads, Moony noted, his tail carried high to avoid the dew. His ears swiveled this way, then that way, scanning for some sound that might be a further clue. His wolf's eyesight was not nearly as keen as it could have been, but all the same he tried to use that sense as well, until his eyes began to water. What _was_ it that tortured him so?

At last they emerged from thick shrubbery into a clearing, in the middle of which stood a small house. It appeared neglected, even perhaps abandoned. Padfoot bounded excitedly towards it, Wormtail clinging desperately to the nape of his neck, squeaking in protest. Prongs, following at a calmer pace, stopped briefly in the garden to nibble at the radishes growing there.

When he looked up, Moony was gone.

Deer are usually silent animals, but they are not mute. Prongs let out a loud trumpeting noise, leaping towards the house. He bit Padfoot's tail to further attract the dog's attention, then flung his head to the forest, where they could see the indistinct shadow of a wolf slinking off. Padfoot emitted several barks before breaking into a run, Prongs not far behind.

Moony was moving at a slower pace than they, but even so it took more than a minute for the companions to catch up. What they found sent a chill up Padfoot's spine; for a moment he stood paralyzed, then he hurtled himself into Moony's side, snarling and lashing out with his claws. The werewolf fought back, but Prongs and Wormtail joined him, and at last they herded Moony some distance away.

Padfoot eyed the moon above as they passed beneath the trees; it was setting, thank God for that. This night was almost over. If they all made it through alive, he thought, he would donate ten Galleons to St. Mungo's. Maybe someday they would find a cure for Remus ... but Padfoot knew all the same they had saved one little boy from a lot of future angst tonight.

----------

When they returned to Hogwarts, dawn was just breaking. Remus was sleeping, carried in Sirius's arms. Sirius looked a wreck, his normally handsome locks hanging bedraggled and matted into his tired blue eyes, and a wound on his upper thigh made walking difficult. Still, he insisted on carrying Remus, and everyone was so exhausted they didn't feel like arguing.

As they trudged up the stairs towards Gryffindor Tower, Sirius turned to James and asked, "Should we tell him, Prongs?"

"No," he replied promptly. "It would break his heart, and there's nothing we can do about it. No spells, no miraculous potions—he's stuck as a werewolf, Sirius."

"I know. But I've been thinking..."

"Never a good thing, that," James said with a smile.

"Shut up, I'm trying to tell you something."

He frowned at Sirius, taken aback at his friend's anger. "Sure, I'll shut up if it bothers you that much."

A heartbeat, then Sirius let out a sigh. "Sorry, James, it's just ... these excursions, we think they're so cool and fun, but I don't know anymore. Maybe we should be more careful, you know, not let Remus go wandering around like that. You saw what almost happened."

"Yeah, almost. But it didn't, did it?"

"I know, I know..."

"Are you going soft on me, Padfoot?"

"Of course not!" Sirius's tone was indignant. "But listen, Remus should know what he did last night. He's the reason we're able to go roaming at all, so he should have the right to decide for himself. Fair?"

"Fair enough," James conceded. "We'll tell him when he wakes."

"But for now, we'll let him sleep. He always looks so much happier like this."

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(A/N: Please review! I need to know if this is utter fluff AKA crap or not! Review! Or I will set my rabid chicken on you...)


	5. Chapter 4

Remus woke abruptly to find Sirius keeping watch by his bedside. His thick head of black hair hung down, obscuring his face; he was dozing. Remus didn't wake him immediately. Instead, his eyes were drawn to a small red stain on Sirius's robes. It wasn't very noticeable since the robes were black, but Sirius, though not as obsessed with looking good as James had once been, did like to be attractive, and unless you were in a rock band, stained robes were definitely out as far as 'attractive' went.

"Sirius?" Remus whispered, shaking his friend's arm slightly.

Sirius's eyes fluttered half open. "Wha—? Izzit time for Charms already?"

"Nope," Remus said, grinning. "You just dozed off, I expect," he added as Sirius opened his eyes, sleep fading swiftly from them. ""What're you playing the sentry for anyway? Am I in danger?"

Suddenly the memory of the night before flooded back to Sirius, and he groaned. Why he had agreed to be the one to tell Remus, he'd never know. Well, no, that wasn't true, he did know why. He'd been the one who insisted Remus be told in the first place. Still, he should have made James do this. He really didn't want to see his friend unhappy, as he would undoubtedly be.

He hitched a grin onto his face and answered, "Nah, I just felt like keeping you company. No point in trying to do homework without you, is there? That's what James and Peter are up to, though."

"What time is it?" Remus asked, pulling his knees tightly into his chest. "How long did I sleep?"

"Broke your record, mate. It's four o'clock in the afternoon."

"Sirius..." He took a deep breath, glancing out of the window at the washed-out autumn sky before turning back to his companion. "Why did I sleep so late? What happened last night? I dreamt... I dreamt of the time when I first became a werewolf..." His voice was small, and he buried his face in his knees as if to banish the memory, to rub it out from behind his eyes.

Sirius couldn't look at him. There was no easy way to do this. He had gone through the possibilities for ages, and had come up with nothing better than just telling him, straight out. "Remus, last night we were near a house. You... almost bit a little boy."

The werewolf's head shot up, his eyes full of terror. "No. No. I didn't. Please tell me I didn't."

Now there was pleading in those stormy grey eyes as well. It broke Sirius's heart to see that. With a great effort, he managed to shake his head, unable to speak because of the lump that had risen in his throat.

Remus looked stricken, and guilty as all hell. He began to rock back and forth, clutching his knees to his chest. Sirius got up and moved to the bed, putting an arm around his friend's shoulder, trying to calm him, but this gesture only seemed to aggravate his pain. A whimper escaped him, and suddenly tears were flooding his face. Sirius felt an urge to wipe the moisture from his cheeks, but there was altogether too much of it.

"It's okay," he whispered to the top of Remus's head. He'd stopped his crazed rocking, and now sat quite still, almost as if dead.

Remus glanced up at him, tears still streaking from his eyes. "No, it isn't okay. That poor boy... I traumatized him... I could have killed him. And all because I was stupid enough to think that..." He stopped abruptly. He had been about to criticize his friends, and he didn't want to do that, not now, not ever. Gulping, he squeezed his eyes shut, willing the tears to stop. They did, eventually. Then he continued, "Stupid. I was stupid. Should have obeyed Dumbledore... but..."

Sirius watched his friend's face closely. Remus wasn't looking at him. "Remus, it's okay. I agree with you. At least, I think I do. I mean, I think I know what you're saying..." He was rambling, dammit, get to the point. "You should stay in the shack for your transformations." A silence greeted his words. Remus had stopped crying.

"But I want to come with you," he said quietly.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine without you for one night."

_We'll be fine without you..._ The words echoed horribly in Remus's ears. "Okay," he replied dully.

"Listen, Moony, it'll be fine. We just won't transform anymore, we'll explore the grounds and stuff with James's invisibility cloak."

_But it won't be the same,_ Remus thought sadly. Aloud he said, "Sure... Sirius, d'you think you could bring me back something from dinner? I'm starved."

"Of course!" Sirius smiled encouragingly at him. "I'll go get it straight away. Oh, by the way, Moony, it's going to be just you and me tonight. Wormtail's got detention, and James has got a _date_," he concluded importantly.

"Oh right, I'd forgotten about that..." Momentarily Remus left behind his sadness and grinned. "James and Lily. What a surprise that was."

"Indeed. I was really surprised, she doesn't seem the type to forgive and forget very easily. And James was a bit of a git when he was younger, wasn't he?"

"We all were," Remus said with a laugh. "How odd to think of it all now... But anyway, what about some food?"

"Certainly, master," Sirius squeaked in a high-pitched voice, then bowed low, looking uncannily like a house-elf. Remus chuckled again at this and waved him off with a haughty "Very well, what are you waiting for?"

----------

When Sirius returned, he was accompanied by a tray sagging under the weight of so much food. He had brought copious amounts of everything on the table, and the tray had been difficult to carry up to the hospital wing, but he was determined to eat with his friend.

Remus was still sitting up in bed, though he looked much calmer. His face was sticky with dried tears. "Oh!" he exclaimed, upon spying the food on Sirius's tray.

"It's not all for you."

"Good, but even so, I bet we'll have enough left over to feed James and Peter when they get back."

"Peter, at least," Sirius said with a knowing grin. "I'm not at all sure we'll be seeing our friend Prongs tonight."

"Well, you never know." Remus shrugged. "So what did you bring for us?"

"Everything," was the prompt reply. "I think McGonagall's been in the kitchens, though, 'cause it's all Scottish..."

"Not... haggis?" Remus pretended to look mortified.

"Thankfully not. But what we have got is cock-a-leekie, smoked haddock—ugh, I never did like fish—also, a more conventional rye loaf, and shortbread. Not bad, considering."

"What do you mean, 'considering'?" Remus asked, leaning over to poke Sirius in the ribs. "My gran's a pure-blooded Scotswoman, so she is, and she can cook better than my mum."

"I've eaten at your house, your mum's good. I take back my remark and beg your gran's forgiveness. She must be amazing."

"She is. You'll have to come with me and visit her sometime." He picked up his bowl of cock-a-leekie soup and dipped his bread into it.

"It'd be more fun than visiting _my_ gran," Sirius said darkly.

Remus sighed. He knew Sirius still hadn't really recovered from his disowning, even though he had run away, not been kicked out.

"Come on, your family must still love you, er—_very_ deep down."

Sirius gave a short, barking laugh. "Fat chance, Moony, but thanks for the optimism. You're a real odd bird, you know."

"I do know," he replied with a smile.

"Remember when we first met?"

How could he ever forget? It was like spring had come again to melt his frost-rimed heart.

"Yes... we were all shopping in Diagon Alley for our school things. You were wandering round with an ice cream, and James was pressed up against the window goggling at the latest racing broom... you thought it'd be rather amusing to tap him on the shoulder, see what he'd do—you both ended up covered in spumoni."

"Haha, I'd forgotten that little detail... Let's see, our parents found us. I remember Mum wasn't too pleased with the Potters, but in a crowded street she couldn't be too horrible. So then we had to go and get our books and quills and things, we'd saved those for last."

"Typical." Remus smiled reminiscently. "And of course I was in Flourish and Blotts, innocently reading a book, when you two accosted me."

"Correction. We didn't _accost_ you. It was a friendly hullo, more like."

"That's funny, your current friendly hullo doesn't involve scaring the person half out of their wits, does it now?"

"Harrumph! You were a sensitive little git back then. Still are, come to think of it... Well, not a git," Sirius amended, seeing the look on Remus's face. "But definitely too jumpy for your own good. Though I can't say I really blame you, Moony." He stood and moved to the window, staring out at the darkening sky. "Wonder where James has taken Lily anyway."

Remus had been thinking the same thing. He loved James dearly, and wanted him to be happy... but he also didn't like the feeling of losing one of his best friends to a girl. Lily was nice enough, and they did make a nice couple, though, and Remus was glad they she had stopped hating him. It had caused James so much anguish during fifth and sixth year that it was something of a relief not to have to hear him harping on about it.

"I miss him already," he said softly to Sirius's back. He saw his friend's shoulders twitch.

"Don't talk rubbish, Moony, he hasn't gone anywhere."

But they both knew he was lying.


	6. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** I know it's been a long time between updates, but I've been really busy and also came down with a bad case of writer's block. This chapter is taking the story in a new direction, and I had no idea what was going to happen when I started writing it. Enjoy and REVIEW! Thanks.

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Peter could not believe his rotten luck. All he had wanted was a little midnight snack. Naturally, he snuck down to the kitchens. But what he couldn't understand was why he had nicked James's Invisibility Cloak instead of transforming. Maybe spending so much time with James and Sirius had made him more reckless. Maybe he thought using his rat form was _too easy_.

The fact remained, however, that on the return journey to Gryffindor tower he had tripped over the statue of the Rum Baron, a jolly fourteenth century warlock, and the Invisibility Cloak had slipped from his body. The Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, who was a formidable woman by the name of Remolina de la Muerte, had been passing through the corridor at just that time, curse his luck, and had seen him. She had promptly assigned him detention with Hagrid the following Tuesday.

This would normally have been cause for a bit of celebration—better Hagrid than the caretaker Argus Filch, who would be more likely to hang you by your ears from the ceiling—except that Professor de la Muerte had assigned Severus Snape detention for the very same night. Peter had never gotten very involved in his friends' rivalry with the Slytherin, but even so the prospect of spending an entire detention with him did not make him very happy.

Hagrid was waiting for them outside his hut; Peter was the first to arrive. He noticed that the gigantic gamekeeper was carrying a pink umbrella and a crossbow under his arm. "Hullo, Hagrid!" Peter called in his rather squeaky voice. "Are we... what are we doing tonight?"

"We'll be goin' into the Forbidden Forest," Hagrid replied unconcernedly. "Got a coupla strange goings-on I'd like ter check out, an' Poppy wants me ter get some hellebore while we're at it. Say, Peter, where's yer pals? I'd've thought fer sure they'd've got detention too?"

"I was just wondering that myself, Pettigrew," came a quiet, silky voice. Severus Snape seemed to have materialized out of the darkness, his face still concealed in shadows. "Did your friends abandon you to the Dragon? Not very good friends, are they?"

"Shut up, Snivellus," Peter said angrily. "I was out on my own. James, Sirius, and Remus had nothing to do with anything, they were sound asleep."

"Now, now, boys," Hagrid said, sounding slightly worried. "Quit arguin'. Severus, we're goin' into th' forest tonight, so you boys'll have ter stick together, okay?"

Both boys nodded sullenly. A trip into the Forbidden Forest was no laughing matter, and when Hagrid said 'stick together' he didn't mean it lightly. Peter, of course, had been in the forest plenty of times, but he had always been with his friends, and now he was no longer accompanied by them he wasn't feeling quite so confident as he stared at the austere blackness behind Hagrid's hut.

"Well, le's go then," Hagrid announced. Severis cast a glance at Peter, his expression unreadable. Peter looked away nervously, then followed Hagrid as he strolled off into the Forbidden Forest.

"What are these 'strange goings-on' you told me about, Hagrid?" Peter asked as he stepped over a fallen log in the path.

"Nothin' serious, mind, so don't worry yer heads about it," Hagrid replied. "But I been tryin' to breed a herd o' thestrals, and somethin's bin upsetting 'em. No idea what, though."

"Thestrals?" Severus asked curtly. "Aren't those...?"

"Yeah, winged horses. Yeh prob'ly won't be able ter see 'em, they're only visible to... people who've seen death. So, unless yeh've... well..." Hagrid trailed off, then shrugged. "Er, we better get goin'. It's already pretty late."

Severus and Peter followed Hagrid down the path, ducking under tree branches and tripping over roots. Shrubbery caught at their clothes, pulling them back; it was almost as if the forest was trying to repel them. If so, Peter thought, it was putting up a jolly good fight, unfortunately for his robes. He wasn't much good at sewing, he'd have to ask someone else to do it for him...

James probably would. Of all Peter's friends, James was the nicest. Remus was okay, but Sirius mainly just scared him, scared him and mocked him. James might say it was only teasing, but Peter was always hypersensitive to that sort of thing. Well, he was sensitive, period. Easily roused emotionally, Peter often couldn't contain himself when gleeful or depressed. He knew it disgusted Sirius, and so tried to control himself, but it was so difficult. He rarely succeeded.

As they penetrated further and further into the forest, the trees grew thicker and darker around them until the treetops closed completely above them, blocking out the stars. Without any light at all, the forest seemed even more sinister than before, but Hagrid would not allow them to light their wands. "Too dangerous," he'd growled when Peter asked him. Neither had the nerve to ask the gamekeeper what he'd meant by that.

Severus seemed almost as nervous as Peter, which was good, as he didn't pester the smaller boy as he might have normally. He kept jumping at every little noise and had his wand out in front of him like a sword. He seemed equally embarrassed at being frightened, though, and eventually began to take this out on Peter.

"Your friends are a bunch of poufs," he hissed as they fell behind Hagrid to disentangle themselves from the undergrowth. "Why do you hang out with them anyway? Are you queer too?"

"No! I hang out with them because... because, well, they're my friends, that's why!" Peter said defensively.

"Bet it gives you a thrill to be around such popular people, Pettigrew," Severus sneered. "Makes it possible to believe _you're_ popular as well, eh? You're lucky James is such an arrogant twit, likes to be constantly watched... I've seen you, you worship him, Pettigrew. It's pathetic."

"I—I don't worship him, Snivellus!" Peter hissed back angrily, tugging at his robes. The branches tore through the fabric, leaving him with several more reasons to 'worship' James, as the Slytherin git was suggesting. "I don't! I just..."

"You just follow around anybody with power, Pettigrew. You make me sick," Severus said, his expression one of pure disgust as he pulled his own robes free. "You'll end up following You-Know-Who if you don't watch out, _rat_."

Peter hurried to catch up with Hagrid, stumbling over a tree root, wondering about what Severus had just said. Could he possibly know...? But he couldn't, he just couldn't. No one knew. No one _could_ know, they'd been so careful... but what if he did? They were going to have to be more careful from now on.

Suddenly, they reached a clearing, and Hagrid stopped. Drawing from one of the pockets of his enormous mole-skin coat a limp form—possibly a rabbit—he dropped it to the ground, then emitted a loud shrieking cry. They waited several minutes, but Peter couldn't see that anything was happening.

Severus Snape, however, saw altogether too well. Two thestrals, only visible because of their faintly glowing eyes, the rest of their bony frames hidden by the darkness of the forest, began to step into the clearing. With the break in the canopy, starlight seeped down to the forest floor here, and once in the clearing, their bodies too became starkly real-looking. They trotted over to the rabbit carcass and began tearing at the raw flesh.

Finally, Peter noticed this. "Ugh!" he exclaimed. "Hagrid... are there thestrals here?"

"Yep," Hagrid said proudly, reaching over to pat one tentatively on its skeletal neck. It lifted its head momentarily, startled, then returned unconcernedly to its feast. "This one's Tenebrus. Severus, you all right?" he asked, glancing at the boy, who was standing some distance away from the feeding thestrals, his face unreadable.

"Fine, Hagrid," he replied tonelessly.

"Yeh can't... see 'em, can yeh?" Hagrid asked, his thick brows knitted with concern.

Severus shook his head. "No. That's just strange and disgusting."

"Now Severus—" Hagrid interrupted his lecture on the merits of thestrals and cocked his head to his left. "Shh! Hang on a sec, I'll go see what made that noise." He headed towards the trees, surprisingly silent considering his size and girth.

_What noise?_ Peter thought. _I didn't hear anything!_

As soon as they lost sight of Hagrid, the clearing erupted in activity. Dark figures emerged from behind the trees, their faces concealed behind masks, their wands out. "_Silencio_!" one of them cried, and both Severus and Peter found themselves incapable of producing even a squeak of terror. One of the other masked silhouettes whispered, "_Imperio_," and the thestrals, which had been about to bolt into the woods, suddenly seemed as obedient as loyal dogs. Four of the others seized hold of Peter and Severus.

When Hagrid returned a few moments later, all that remained in the clearing was the trampled grass and the half-eaten carcass of the rabbit.


	7. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:** Thanks for all the reviews! And I too am glad this finally has something resembling a plot. This chapter is kind of short, but the next one will be longer! Enjoy!

"It's well after midnight. Where could he possibly be?"

James had gotten back from his date with Lily Evans around ten. As un-innocent and indifferent to rules as he was, even he didn't want to push curfew too far. He had just served detention the previous Wednesday for the exact same offense, and he had had less luck than Peter—his had been served with Argus Filch, cleaning the Charms corridor about five times over.

"No idea," Sirius replied. "If it was Filch he was with I wouldn't be so worried, but Hagrid would never lengthen a jail sentence like that."

"Yeah. Hagrid's willing to exact punishment, but it's not cruel or unusual. D'you think we should go to McGonagall?"

"I will," said a somnolent voice from the corner of the dormitory.

"Yoni! You're awake?"

"More or less. I woke up a bit more when you started talking about Peter being missing. I wouldn't want anything to happen to that kid." He scrambled out of bed and slipped into his socks. "I'll go get her."

"Thanks loads," James said. "We can go on being lazy gits."

After Yoni had gone, Remus asked, "You don't suppose something _has_ happened to him? He was with... our Slytherin friend, after all."

"That's right, he was!" Sirius said. "Oooh, if he's done something to poor Wormtail his life's not gonna be worth a Knut! I'll show Snivellus he can't mess with the Marauders!"

"Admirable sentiments, I'm sure, Mr. Black, but wholly unnecessary." Professor McGonagall was standing in the doorway, her matriarchal wrinkled face contorted with worry. "Please, all three of you accompany me. The headmaster wishes to speak with you."

"Dumbledore?" The boys stared round at each other. If Dumbledore was involved, it had to be serious. Without a word, Remus, James, and Sirius followed Professor McGonagall out of the dormitory and down the stairs to the Gryffindor common room. The journey to the headmaster's office was a hell of incomparable proportions, all three of them exchanging doomed glances the whole way. Somehow, though, they made it to the spiral staircase leading to Dumbledore's office.

The headmaster was waiting for them seated behind his desk in a dark blue dressing gown riddled with golden stars and astronomical symbols. His wrinkled face was unreadable. "Good evening, boys," he began.

"Where's Peter?" Sirius demanded angrily.

"Mr. Black, I can assure you we have no more idea than you."

"What a comfort," James muttered.

"However, we feel you should be adequately informed on the situation. Hagrid did indeed take Peter and Severus into the Forbidden Forest to investigate the disappearance of several of his thestral herd. He had gotten some of the thestrals into a clearing when a suspicious noise drew him into the forest... when he returned, Severus and Peter were gone, as were the thestrals."

"Th-that's all you know?" Remus asked, a sinking feeling hitting him somewhere below his ribcage. "But... they could be anywhere!"

"Yeah! I don't care about Severus, but—"

"Mr. Black, Mr. Lupin, I realize this is a worrying situation, but we are doing our best to discover what has happened... we believe someone has kidnapped them."

"Kidnapped? But what in the world would anybody want with either of them?"

"We're not sure. It's possible they were merely in the wrong place at the wrong time, and the kidnappers were only after the thestrals... we've sent out search parties, but as we know next to nothing it's all we can do at the moment."

"All right, boys," said Professor McGonagall. "Back to bed. I trust you can find your way back to Gryffindor tower without my assistance?"

"Yes, Professor," Remus intoned. The others nodded, then trooped out of the room and down the spiral staircase.

"OK. Here's the plan, men: sneak up to the dormitory, snag the Invisibility Cloak, and then... we're going in," Sirius whispered as soon as they were halfway to their destination. James and Remus both nodded agreement to this plan.

Sirius stared at the werewolf. "Remus! You're a prefect! Aren't you going to try and stop us?"

Remus shook his head vehemently. "The time for following rules is past. We can't abandon Peter to kidnappers _and_ Severus Snape!"

"Well spoken," James said, grinning. "For a _prefect_."

"Cut it out, we're there."

Sirius gave the Fat Lady the password ("dittany"), but not before rousing her out of a deep slumber. She was not pleased.

"Where have you three been tonight, eh?" she asked, squinting suspiciously at them. "And where's your pal?"

"No idea. Now do you mind? Dittany!" Sirius replied impatiently.

"All right, all right, no need to get touchy..." But she finally swung forward to admit them.

"Finally," James muttered, clambering in behind Remus and Sirius. "I thought she'd never let us in. Let's hurry, who knows what they're doing to Peter _as we speak_."

This thought put wings on their feet. In just a few minutes, they were back in the common room, laden with the additional burden of James's Invisibility Cloak. "Okay, listen: in an emergency, we transform," James said, "and Remus gets the cloak. Agreed?"

"Agreed!"

As they swung the Fat Lady back into place, she was heard to say, "Those boys! Don't they know crime never pays? They won't get away with it for long... Dumbledore always knows."

None of them felt it was a very good omen to start out an already dangerous journey.


End file.
